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Our goal at PGS is simple. We believe GeoExchange™ technology can reduce our footprint on our planet.
With over forty years of combined real world experience we have learned many ways “not to do things”. To further the growth of this
industry PGS has developed several workshops and training courses to help building owners, developers, mechanical system designers and
contractors become more comfortable with this amazing technology and allow it to work for them.
As energy costs have increased many people have realized that even if there is no direct connection between burning fossil fuels
and global warming, there are many reasons to make better use of our increasingly precious
energy resources. Many building owners have realized that energy and operating costs over the life of the building are much greater
than the first cost of building the building. They have realized that it is not good to be
dependent on far away countries for energy to heat their buildings. Because of this, developers, architects, mechanical engineers and
contractors are being asked more and more frequently to design geothermal systems for their clients.
There is a significant difference, however, between designing a cost-effective and efficient ground source
system to heat, ventilate and air condition a building and designing a conventional system with
gas or oil fired equipment.
The difference is that the designer must design the energy source as well as the mechanical
system for the building.
In designing a conventional heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system it is the utility's responsibility to ensure
enough energy is supplied to the building. The designer only has to ensure the equipment is large enough to heat building on the
coldest day of the year and cool the building on the hottest day. The utility supplies a continuous flow of energy to
the building to provide heating and cooling throughout the year...as long as the owner pays the bills.
But in designing a GeoExchange™ system it is the responsibility of the designer to ensure the ground heat exchanger (GHX) is large
enough to provide for the heating and cooling needs of the building throughout the year, and in fact for the life of the building…in
addition to ensuring the equipment is large enough to heat and cool the building. The designer must take into account the annual
energy loads of the building and ensure that the GHX can provide the energy needs of the building. The designer must ensure their
energy load calculations are accurate and that they understand the capacity of the ground to provide the long-term energy needs of
their client’s building. Finally, the designer needs to be aware of the variables that apply to a specific project to justify to justify
a cost-effective installation. In some cases, a closed loop GeoExchange system may cost less to install than a conventional mechanical
system if approached correctly and the natural assets of the site are utilized to maximum benefit.
Workshops developed by Practical GeoExchange Solutions (PGS) focus on what you, as a designer, need to know to
design a cost-effective and efficient geothermal system for your client. What do you look for on the specific building site?
How do you determine what type of GHX is most appropriate? When is a thermal conductivity test required? What
type of equipment is most suitable for a specific building? What type of equipment do you specify? How do you
specify the materials needed in the GHX? How do you ensure the system is installed according to your
specifications? What is important in commissioning a geothermal system?
PGS provides the insight to address these and many topics related to the design and execution of a GeoExchange™ system.
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